Derry City
Derry City Guide
Introduction
Derry, only a few miles from the border with the Republic of Ireland, is an attractive walled city of hills and spires. Despite being one of the main areas of tension at the height of the Troubles, culminating in the shocking events of Bloody Sunday in 1972 in the Bogside area of the city, Derry is now enjoying a period of renewal and renovation which has transformed it into a warm and welcoming tourist centre.
Attractions
City Walls
The city’s most prominent feature is its incredibly well preserved walls. Derry is one of the best examples of a walled city in Europe, and the only completely walled city in the whole of Ireland. Built in the 17th century by the Scottish and English settlers to protect themselves, the walls span an impressive 1.5 miles around the city, and it’s still possible today to walk all the way round them, which gives marvellous views of the city. The four original gates have been rebuilt (Bishopgate, Butchergate, Shipquay and Ferryquay) and three new ones have been added (Castlegate, Newgate and Magazine).
O’Doherty Tower and Tower Museum
Part of the city wall structure, O’Doherty Tower houses a fascinating museum on the turbulent and dramatic social and political history of Derry as well as an excellent interactive exhibition on La Trinidad Valencera, a ship from the Spanish Armada which sank off the coast of Donegal in 1588 and discovered in 1971.
Harbour Museum
Derry has an important maritime heritage and this museum provides an insight into the city’s seafaring past. It also has a varied range of exciting and imaginative temporary exhibitions. Check at the tourist information office to find out what’s on when you’re in town.
Workhouse Museum
The museum set in this former workhouse covers a range of themes from the lives of the inhabitants of the workhouse to the Great Famine and Derry’s part in the Battle of the Atlantic in World War Two.
St Columb’s Cathedral
This beautiful cathedral was built in honour of St Columba, who founded a Christian settlement here in the year 550. The church was used as a battery during one of the city’s many sectarian battles in 1688, but managed to survive relatively unscathed. A cannonball sits at the entrance porch as a reminder of the shots fired into its grounds by the attacking army.
Guildhall
This wonderful neo-gothic civic building was originally built as a meeting house for the guilds and trade associations of the city. The highlight is the marvellously colourful stained glass windows.
Riverwatch
Run by the Loughs Agency, this visitor centre on the banks of the River Foyle reveals everything about the nature and wildlife inhabiting the local rivers and loughs including salmon, trout and shellfish.
Museum of Free Derry
This museum tells the story of the civil rights era at the height of the Troubles in the 1960s and 70s, including Free Derry and Bloody Sunday. It’s very well documented and displayed and communicates the events through the eyes of the local community. The museum is located in the heart of ‘Free Derry’, near Free Derry Corner, the Bloody Sunday monument and the striking Bogside wall murals.
Prehen House
Just outside Derry, this grand country manor was the house of the eminent Knox family of Derry. It’s full of wonderful old treasures and provides fabulous views over the city and surrounding countryside.
Ulster American Folk Park
About 20 miles south of Derry, this first-class visitor attraction brings to life the story of Irish emigration to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s an open air museum with carefully reconstructed Irish and New World buildings and a full-size sailing ship of the type that would have taken passengers across the Atlantic. There’s also an enlightening exhibition outlining in detail the history of emigration.
Eating Out
Seafood is of course a speciality in Derry, which has a vast array of good quality restaurants. Reggie’s Seafood Restaurant on Strand Road has a good name, while Mange 2 on Clarendon Road serves a range of excellent fish and meat dishes with a French influence. Satchmo’s on Prehen Road is another of Derry’s most exclusive restaurants, boasting an AA rosette.
The Mandarin Palace on Queen’s Quay, Lower Clarendon Street, is a fabulous Chinese restaurant overlooking the waterfront. The menu is large and varied and there’s a great value buffet lunch on weekdays.
Nightlife
Many of Derry’s pubs host live Irish music, such as Peadar O’Donnell’s or Bound for Boston on Waterloo Street. If R&B is more your thing, Downey’s on Shipquay Street is the club for you. Alternatively, the Carraig on Strand Road is a good DJ bar.
